When mechanical genius
Emily is kidnapped by rogue automatons, Finley Jayne and her fellow
misfits fear the worst. What's left of their archenemy, The Machinist,
hungers to be resurrected, and Emily must transplant his consciousness
into one of his automatons—or forfeit her friends' lives.

With
Griffin being mysteriously tormented by the Aether, the young duke's
sanity is close to the breaking point. Seeking help, Finley turns to
Jack Dandy, but trusting the master criminal is as dangerous as
controlling her dark side. When Jack kisses her, Finley must finally
confront her true feelings for him...and for Griffin.

Meanwhile,
Sam is searching everywhere for Emily, from Whitechapel's desolate
alleyways to Mayfair's elegant mansions. He would walk into hell for
her, but the choice she must make will test them more than they could
imagine.

To save those she cares about, Emily must confront The
Machinist's ultimate creation—an automaton more human than machine. And
if she's to have any chance at triumphing, she must summon a strength
even she doesn't know she has....(Goodreads Synopsis)

I'd understood that The Girl with the Iron Touch was to be the final book in Cross' Steampunk Chronicles - but that doesn't seem to be the case. Certainly the book ended in such a way as to make a fourth instalment more than possible - inevitable, I would have thought - but I guess we shall have to wait and see.

I enjoyed this book more than the second. The action was fast paced, the storyline exciting and this time the new characters came across well - particularly Mila who I would love to hear more about in a future book.

All in all, this book was a delightful read that was hard to put down and I do hope Cross does decide to continue with this world and these characters in future writings.

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